Chinese word

必须

Pronunciation

Pinyinbì xū

Meaning

  • auxiliary verbmust

Example

他必须交作业。tā bì xū jiāo zuò yè

He must hand in his homework.

Illustration for 必须 (must)

More examples

生病时，你必须吃药。shēng bìng shí nǐ bì xū chī yào

When you are sick, you must take medicine.

Core concept

A rule or condition that makes an action unavoidable.

Common phrases

  • 必须交作业bì xū jiāo zuò yè

    must hand in homework

  • 必须学习bì xū xué xí

    must study

  • 必须吃药bì xū chī yào

    must take medicine

Similar words

要yào: Shows that something needs to be done.
应该yīng gāi: Shows that an action ought to happen according to reason or usual standards.
可以ké yǐ: Shows that someone may do something or that something can happen.

Definition in Chinese

用来表示某种行为或状态是必须实行的，通常放在动词前作为情态助动词，语气比“要”更强。yòng lái biǎo shì móu zhǒng xíng wéi huò zhuàng tài shì bì xū shí xíng de tōng cháng fàng zài dòng cí qián zuò wéi qíng tài zhù dòng cí yǔ qì bǐ yào gèng qiáng

Word origin

必 (bì, "certainly") + 须 (xū, "need") join to show that an action cannot be left undone.

Usage tips

  • For English-speaking learners, this word is useful for recognizing firm school rules, while a friendly request usually needs gentler wording.

Other meanings

  • be necessaryauxiliary verb

Opposites

Word lists with this word